The "Bad Boys" will soon return to the big screen, as Columbia Pictures is prepping a third installment in the popular series starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. "Bad Boys 3" is only in the earliest developmental stages right now, but I'm sure we'll hear more about it once a script nears completion.

The Hollywood Reporter says Peter Craig is set to write the third film. Plot details are unknown at this point, but the film will follow the latest adventures of Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett. No deals have been made with either Smith or Lawrence at this stage.

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The new "xXx" flick has found its director! Ericson Core is set to direct that totally unnecessary action sequel "XXX: The Return of Xander Cage," which Columbia is developing with Vin Diesel set to return as the lead character. Neal H. Moritz is producing.

Core's recent directing gigs include 2006's sports drama "Invincible" with Mark Wahlberg. Rob Cohen, who helmed the first "xXx," was attached to return as well, but he recently dropped out to direct "Medieval" instead.

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Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gus van Sant may team up with Columbia to direct a film entitled "Restless" from a script by Jason Lew. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are set to produce the film, about which not much is known at this point. Plot details are being kept under wraps.

The Hollywood Reporter says "Restless" is a contemporary take on young love. That's all we get to know about it for now. Apparently, it's a script filled with originality, this according to those who've read and helped develop it. Columbia is set to get this one into production as soon as possible.

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Just a couple of weeks ago we learned Columbia pulled the plug on Steven Soderbergh's sports drama "Moneyball" and put it into turnaround, but according to new reports, the studio is still on board.

So what's actually going on with this thing? Will we ever get to see it? According to Variety, yes, we will, but not from Soderbergh, whose rewrite of Steven Zaillian's script failed to impress studio head Amy Pascal.

Pascal's move to halt the project after disliking Soderbergh's vision came as an unexpected move, particularly because the film was all ready to shoot with Brad Pitt in the lead. Despite Soderbergh's exit, Pitt is apparently still attached.

Aaron Sorkin ("Charlie Wilson's War") has now been brought on-board to rewrite the script. The film is based on Michael Lewis' book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning An Unfair Game."

The central story follows Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, who used sophisticated computer analysis system to piece together a team that regularly contended for the World Series.

Some of Steven Soderbergh's movies have made a lot of money and received great critical praise, but that's not enough for Columbia Pictures to fully trust him with some of his projects.

Indeed, Columbia has pulled the plug on Soderbergh's upcoming sports drama "Moneyball," the big-screen adaptation of Michael Lewis' book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning An Unfair Game."

Variety reports Columbia's chairwoman Amy Pascal put the project into turnaround after she read Soderbergh's rewrite of Steven Zaillian's script. Well, she didn't like it, and she's no longer ready to invest into the project anymore.

This comes as quite an unexpected move, especially because Soderbergh and Pitt were gearing up for the shoot already. At this stage, it's not sure who will stay on-board or what will happen to "Moneyball."

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By now we all know Vin Diesel and Rob Cohen will return for a third "xXx," but the latest we've learned is that "Terminator Salvation" screenwriters Michael Ferris and John D. Brancato may write the screenplay for the sequel.

According to Variety, the writers recently pitched their idea for "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" to Columbia. The studio has been trying to fast-track the project ever since it was officially announced two months ago.

Besides "Salvation," Ferris and Brancato also teamed up for Jonathan Mostow's "Surrogates," which is currently filming. They also collaborated on films such as "Primeval," "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and "Catwoman."

Cohen directed Diesel in the first film of the series in 2002, which pulled in $106.2 million domestically. They both refused to return for the 2005 sequel, which starred Ice Cube and totally crashed at the box office.

So, are you excited this project is moving along? Or do you think Xander Cage has no business blowing things up on the big screen? Post your opinions below.